Over at the Christian Science Monitor, there is an article about organic no-till farming methods and carbon sequestering. http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/03/12/new-way-to-farm-boosts-climate-too/
We have lots of cultivated prairie land. Is there a Canadian take on this?

Though your comment takes this discussion in a different direction, it does bring up how integrated everything is. Farming uses oil based products big time. Moving toward no-till organic farming is a great idea, but sounds very challenging for certain types of crops. Never-the-less the CSM article makes it clear that the exact timing of seeding in relation to knocking down the cover crop is one thing that influences the outcome which can be very positive. Modern industrialized agriculture uses large amounts of fertilizer and also pesticides, the latter of which often uses oil as one of the raw materials. Farming technics that reduce or elimate the need for pesticides, and the amount of tilling, are great for the environment because they use less fossil fuels. Unfortunately the huge agro-chemical companies and seed companies are so integrated and have such a strangle-hold on farmers (including the culture) that it is extremely challenging to switch away to a different modus operandi. There certainly are some heroic stories out there though. All most of us can do as consumers is buy local, and buy organic as much as possible.

Great article and comments. I totally agree that the tar-sands project is terrible for the environment and the long term environmental costs far outway the short term financial gains. Who will pay for the clean up when it is all said and done? It will cost far more to clean up the mess than what little economic gain we get from it in the short term. Carbon capture is just the latest buzz word pretending to do something good for the environment. I am an engineer and the challenges and costs involved in making this work cost effectively is just not in the cards. The fact that we use one barrel of energy to produce two barrels of oil is just crazy and then what do we do with this amazing energy source? Most of it will be used to make throw away plastics and fuel for inefficient & polluting vehicles. If we were to use it to make wind turbines or solar panels, electric trains, etc. Then I could see a tangible long term benefit, but this is not the case. I would like to point out another problem that humanity is about to face and it is not global warming, however equally critical and related to Tarsand - Peak Oil.
Peak Oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline.
Yes oil prices are low at the moment, but when peak oil hits it will be a disaster - just think of how quickly oil prices rose last year up to a peak of $150/barrel. Now imagine the present economic condition and add continually rising oil and hence rising food prices? It is estimated that we will reach the peak in the next few year, if we haven't already surpassed it and there is strong evidence that we have. The present economic slow down does help buying some time, however this is short lived. The problem of Peak Oil is that we have not planned for it at all, that is to say our economic model and its perpetual growth is based on cheap & abundent fossil fuels. Take a way predictable energy prices and you have the economic house of card collapse. As a result you have huge unempolyment and inflation that would take unprecedented political actions. The current situation is like a little appetizer of what is to come. Every government is trying to stimulate the unsustainable economic engine again, which is what got us into this mess in the first place. This will spell disaster for the environment and the well being of the worlds population. Now one seriously talks about a different economic model (i.e. a sustainable one) where you basically have zero economic / population growth? Humanity was given a gift of unbelievable fossil fuel resources / energy - but so far we have done everything to waist it away and in the process seriously compromised our future survival. We need politicians that will tell us the truth, are visionaries, have integrity and don't surcome to corporate pressures. There are such people & political parties out there, it is up to us the people to seek them out and support them. For now we need to let our politicians know what we want and if they don't deliver they will be voted out of office. Please take action and let your MP and MLA know what you want them to do (i.e. take real action on climate change - zero carbon emissions by 2050). We need a real shift from the old to a new sustainable economy.
WRS

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Sarah

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